Children of Vikings and Dragons
by Kamije Celeek
Summary: Signy and Hiccup Haddock were born to Viking parents on the island of Berk before they and their mother were taken by a dragon when they were infants. Raised in the Alpha's Nest, they both vow to never live with the dragon-killing Vikings. However, when they learn of the reasons for the killing and the raids, they realize they need to save both their birthplace and the dragons...
1. Not Your Normal Viking Family

Valka was not a typical Viking mother.

The former chieftess of Berk was not what most people saw as a Viking. She abhorred the violence that took up the world she'd known all her life, and the dragons everyone thought were absolutely evil she saw as kind, intelligent creatures. She'd been expected to carry a baby to term and give birth to a male heir. She'd been expected to raise that son to maturity as the next chief and dragon-killer. She'd been expected to support her husband in every endeavor, whether she agreed with it or not. She'd been expected to kill dragons.

None of that was true.

She'd given birth two months before it was time, and she'd given birth to twins. She and both of her children had been taken from Berk before they reached six months. She'd been unable to support her husband's dragon-killing, and it was because of her aversion that she and her children had been taken by Cloudjumper—a massive Stormcutter dragon that now served as a surrogate father to her twins for the three years they'd been in the Alpha's Nest. Even now, the twins refused to believe they weren't part dragon themselves.

Oh, how she loved them.

Hiccup was the elder of the two, by a mere five minutes. He was the inquisitive one, always getting into trouble by being where he wasn't supposed to. He took after Valka with his auburn hair and green eyes.

Signy was the younger twin and the smaller of the two. She was always tripping over her own feet, trying to keep up with her brother and the Terrible Terrors that followed him into trouble. She was more in line with Stoick—wild red hair and blue eyes.

When they worked together and got going, Valka could _feel_ her hair going gray.

* * *

" _Mama!_ "

Valka looked up to see her daughter crying. Signy was holding her elbow, which was bleeding from a large scrape. She rushed over to dry her tears.

"Shhh… you're fine, Signy," she soothed, stroking her daughter's hair.

"I-I tripped over Pip!" she hiccupped, burying her face in her mother's tunic. Valka cradled her youngest and headed to the cave, where Hiccup was digging for bandages.

"Good, Hiccup," Valka told him, sitting Signy on a crude chair Valka had made. Hiccup handed her the bandages and she patched Signy's elbow.

"Are you okay, Sig?" Hiccup asked his sister.

"I'm fine."

"Just try not to run so fast—your sister has trouble keeping up with you sometimes."

"Just until Bramble's bigger!" chirped Signy, her scrape now forgotten. "Then I'll be able to outrun _him_!"

"Nuh-uh!" Hiccup retorted.

"Yeah-huh!"

Valka laughed and shook her head at their argument. The twins were as different as night and day, but they were closer than most Viking siblings Valka had seen. Hiccup protected Signy and Signy tagged along with him. It was balanced, like the sun and moon, and Valka wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

"Shush!"

Valka listened to Hiccup and Signy's giggling, knowing that they were planning something. At the age of five, they were more rambunctious than ever. Signy had her Nadder, Bramble, while Hiccup had yet to find a dragon for himself. That didn't mean he wasn't learning to ride, of course—Valka allowed him to ride Cloudjumper or a Nadder named Spitfire to begin. However, that left more room for the twins to escape the nest for short bursts under Cloudjumper's watchful eyes.

"Oh, my," Valka said, playing along. "Wherever could those two be?"

She was suddenly set upon by both children latching themselves onto her legs.

"Gotcha, Mama!" they sang in unison.

"You'll both be mighty hunters one day," Valka laughed.

"Like Cloudjumper or the King?" asked Hiccup with large eyes.

"Yes, or maybe you'll be like me—a rescuer." Signy released Valka's leg and jumped up and down with excitement. Her brother followed suit.

It was moments like this that Valka lived for.

* * *

"Tell us again about the Vikings."

Hiccup's request for a bedtime story was not an uncommon one. Though neither of them believed they were of pure Viking blood, they loved hearing the stories, save for the dragon killing. Their favorites were the stories of Berk, the place their mother had been born.

"Which one do you want to hear?" Valka asked.

"Tell us about Papa," Signy requested.

"Your papa…" Valka tapped her chin. "Your father was the mighty chief of Berk. He would protect the village with his life if he needed to."

"What did he look like?" Hiccup asked excitedly.

"He was a giant of a man. When you two were born, he could hold each of ya in the palms of his hands. He also had wild red hair and blue eyes."

"Like me!" Signy gasped.

"Yes, like you."

"Did he love us?"

"Of course he loved ya. Nobody was more excited than him the night you two were born."

"Where is he now?" Signy's voice was quiet, as if she were afraid of the answer.

"He's still on Berk, as far as I know." Hiccup's next question was the one Valka had dreaded.

"Why isn't he with us?" Valka took a deep breath.

"You know not all people see dragons the way we do. On Berk, when I lived there, they hated dragons. They saw it as honorable to kill them. Your father was the same way, and…"

"You left with us?" Signy inquired.

"No, Cloudjumper took us from our house. It was on fire, and I'd rushed in to save you both. I couldn't bring myself to harm Cloudjumper and I grabbed the two of you. Your father… he threw an axe and spooked Cloudjumper, who took us with him in order to protect us."

"Would Papa still love us if he knew that we loved dragons?"

"I have no doubt in my mind that he would." She kissed each of their foreheads. "Now, get to sleep. We have work to do in the morning." Valka exited the room to attend to her nightly patrol with Cloudjumper.

Once she was gone, Hiccup sat up in bed.

"Signy, are you awake?" he asked.

" 'Course I am," she mumbled, sitting up next to him. Due to their small size, the twins shared a bed to conserve heat and space.

"Do you think Mama was right about Papa?"

"About him being a giant?"

"Yeah, and that he hated dragons as much as she says he did."

"… he must hate them even more now, since one took all three of us. He doesn't have anybody left."

"Poor Papa."

Hiccup—not for the first time—was grateful for his mother and sister. He wasn't alone, and he wished his father was there, too. Then they'd be a complete family.

"…hey, Sig?"

"Yeah, Hiccup?"

"I don't think we're part dragon. I think we're fully human."

"Humans stink, except for Mama and Papa."

"And us."

"And us, right."

"Maybe there are more good humans, like us."

"Maybe."

"We should be nice to all humans unless they're really mean. Then we'll know we're not the only good ones."

"Yeah. Good night, Hic."

"Good night, Signy."

* * *

 **Yeah, chapter one is a little lackluster. It will get better. This is just to establish Valka and the twins' relationship. Most stories like this start with Valka's kidnapping, but I chose to start with little childhood snippets.**

 **Next time, we'll check up on Stoick and the Hairy Hooligans.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	2. The Hole in the Chief's House

**Say hello to Berk…**

* * *

Raids were never the best thing for Berk.

Every time a raid happened, houses were destroyed. Livestock was taken. Lives were lost. Weapons were broken. Families were ripped apart.

For Stoick, it was a reminder of his failure as a husband and father.

"No sign of the devil," he growled to Gobber.

"I doubt we'll ever see it again," Gobber sighed. "Rare dragons like a Stormcutter tend to wander. We rarely see them more than once."

"I want to spill that beast's guts with my own hands."

"Stoick, you'll drive yourself mad with this. Val would _never_ have wanted that."

"So I've been told, but what would Val think if just our children had been taken?"

"She'd hunt it down…"

"Yes, and I will do the same!"

Gobber sighed again and watched his friend leave.

The following morning, he was busy reforging weapons that had been broken in the previous night's raid. While he was distracted, the village children crept into the forge behind him. Fishlegs was busy reading and sat down on an empty stool. Snotlout and the twins—Ruffnut and Tuffnut—started messing with Gobber's tools while Astrid tried to stop them.

"Hey, Gobber?" Snotlout spoke up after glancing at his uncle's home.

"Yes, Snotlout?"

"How come the chief has a giant hole in the side of his house?"

"It's a memorial."

The kids all stared at Gobber, the twins forgetting the tools and Fishlegs forgetting his book.

"What's it a memorial for?" Astrid asked. Gobber set down the hammer he was fixing and sat down on his stool.

"It's not a happy story, kids."

"I wanna hear it!" insisted Snotlout.

"Well, the chief was once married—"

"The chief was _married_?!"

"Yes. He was once married to a beautiful woman named Valka. They were very much in love, and then Valka became pregnant. She gave birth two months early, in the dead of winter, to a set of twins."

"Like us!" the Thorston twins cried.

"Exactly, a boy and a girl. The boy was born first, and he was named Hiccup. The girl was named Signy, and she was the surprise nobody in the village expected. The chief and Valka were so happy to have them, though Valka was afraid that the two wouldn't make it. They did, at least for five months…" He stared at the floor, his heart sinking with the memory.

"Where are they now?" Fishlegs inquired.

"Unfortunately, Valka and the twins were taken by a Stormcutter dragon during a raid. That's why the chief leaves the hole in the side of his house—to remind him what that dragon did and why he's still fighting." He got up and headed back to his bench. "Now, you kids run along. I don't need any of ya gettin' hurt and your parents gettin' on my case."

The five left Gobber in the forge and headed down to the beach.

"The chief must've really loved his family," remarked Astrid. "If Hiccup and Signy and Valka were here nowadays, I bet they'd make the chief happier than he is."

"If they were here, I wouldn't be the heir," Snotlout reminded her. "Hiccup would be, then Signy, then me."

Stoick heard the kids talking and shook his head. They'd been told and were now curious about three people in Valhalla. He wouldn't see them until the day he died.

* * *

 **I didn't have much for this chapter. Sorry.**

 **Next time… surprises abound.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	3. Mystery Boy and the Angel

Signy was happy as could be.

She was out on Bramble, flying all on her own, for the first time! At the age of eight, she'd been flying Bramble for four years under her mother's watch, but now her mother trusted her to fly on her own. It was so exciting!

"Let's go this way!"

Bramble let out a happy squawk and headed over in the direction Signy had pointed. As they flew over the water, however, Signy spotted something thrashing in the water. She and Bramble flew closer to whatever it was as it began to stop thrashing. Signy was alarmed to realize that it was a human boy, not much older than her!

"Bramble!" she squeaked as her dragon dipped lower. Signy managed to pull the waterlogged and freezing boy onto the dragon's back. He stared at her.

"An angel…?" he breathed.

"Hang on, you're hurt!" she whimpered. He lost consciousness and Signy gripped him tightly. "Bramble! We have to go home! He needs help!"

Bramble squawked and changed direction, heading back towards the Alpha's Nest.

"We're getting you help," she promised. "Just hang on, Mystery Boy!"

She and Bramble careened into the Nest, where Signy saw Valka tending to the hatchling Gronckles.

" _Mama!_ " she yelled. Valka turned to see her daughter holding an unconscious boy.

"Ye gods, Signy! Get him in the cave!"

Signy nodded and flew into the little cave she and her little family shared. Ever since she and Hiccup had started getting older, her mother had suggested that they sleep in separate caves for privacy and have one cave used for when they were hurt or sick or just for eating. Signy carefully laid the mystery boy on the soft pelts her mother had collected and covered him up. Valka came in a few moments later.

"Signy, get a Nightmare," Valka instructed. "Tell your brother to make a poultice for fever."

"Yes, Mama!" Signy ran off to do just that.

"You're gonna have to fight this hard, child," sighed Valka, stroking the boy's hair the way she did when Hiccup or Signy were sick.

"I got the Nightmare!" Signy announced, running in with the young dragon behind her. The dragon seemed to sense that the mystery child was freezing, as it lit itself on fire and sat next to him.

All they could do was wait.

* * *

 _Where… am I?_

Eret shifted under the heavy pelts. He felt safe, and warm. Much more than he last remembered. The last thing he remembered was a girl pulling him out of the freezing ocean before he could drown. A red-haired angel.

 _The angel… I must be dead._

"Hello?" he called, sitting up. A face poked into the cave, the face of a girl not much younger than him.

 _It's the angel!_

"Hey, you're awake!" she cheered before turning away. "Mama! Hiccup! He's awake!" She rushed to Eret's side and knelt next to him. "How do you feel?"

"Am I dead?"

"No, but you gave it your best shot. Bramble and I pulled you out of the water." While his rescuer started feeling his forehead for a fever, a boy with auburn hair entered the little cave. "Mama said if I had been just a couple minutes later, you would've died." Satisfied that he was at a proper temperature, she held out her hand. "I'm Signy, and that's my twin brother, Hiccup."

"I-I'm Eret, son of Eret," Eret replied.

"Well, Eret, son of Eret, welcome to our home!" Signy held her arms out wide.

"And now you can go," muttered Hiccup. His sister flicked her wrist and hit him in the forehead.

"Ignore him—he's just grumpy."

"Who's grumpy?" asked a woman with auburn hair, entering the cave.

 _She must be their mother. She's beautiful._

"Hiccup is," Signy replied, bouncing to her feet. "He said Eret has to leave."

"Well, he does if he has a family, Sig." The woman sat next to Eret. "My name is Valka. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Lapland, but I've been traveling with my father for six years." His face fell. "He… he must've not made it…"

"What about your mother?"

"She passed away when I was three."

"Can we keep him?" Signy begged her mother. "I'll feed him!"

"Of course, if he wants to stay."

"I want to stay," Eret assured Signy. She smiled and clapped. Hiccup looked sulky. "Where _is_ here, anyway?"

"This is the Alpha's Nest," Hiccup replied. "We live here with dragons."

 _Dragons?!_

"Dragons?! They attacked our ship!"

"Not all dragons are bad," Signy insisted. "Ours aren't. We live under the King."

* * *

It was a few days before Eret was well enough to walk around. As soon as he was able, Signy introduced him to her dragon, Bramble. He was afraid at first, but he was not going to be shown up by the much-smaller Hiccup and Signy. He forced himself to touch the dragon the way Signy had taught him… and realized they were just as gentle as Valka and her children claimed. Eret knew he wanted to live here and work with the dragons, to be alongside the little family of three. To maybe be accepted as a part of that family.

"Of course you're part of the family!" Signy scoffed when Eret asked, stroking the spikes on Bramble's tail. "We dragon-loving folk have to stick together, you know!"

"Of course we do."

"And… if you're going to stay, we have to introduce you to the King!" She grabbed Eret's hand and led him to a small cliff overlooking a mass of white that Eret realized was a massive dragon. "Hello, sir!"

The King looked Eret over as if assessing him for approval. He exhaled, sending frost over both Eret and Signy. Signy giggled while Eret looked confused.

"That means he likes you! Now you're _really_ part of the family!"

Their family had grown. It now consisted of Cloudjumper, Bramble, Valka, Eret, Hiccup, and Signy. Signy remained the youngest (much to her dismay) as Eret was ten and Hiccup was five minutes older. Still, she decided to help out as much as she could, as did Hiccup. Hiccup learned to accept that Eret was staying and they even became good friends within a few weeks of Eret's awakening.

Their little family couldn't stay secret forever...

* * *

 **Next time, Trader Johann—not a lying traitor edition!**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	4. Trader Johann Really Likes Dragon Teeth

"I don't think he'll trade herbs for books, Hiccup."

"He's got to! I've read everything we have here at least five times!"

"Angel's right, Hiccup. Johann's not going to give up books for dragon root."

Hiccup sighed and crossed his arms.

It had been five years since Eret had come to live at the Alpha's Nest, and in that time, things had changed. Hiccup had _finally_ found his dragon—a Night Fury he'd rescued from the steel-and-Gronckle-Iron traps of Dragon Hunters. At thirteen, he was still smaller than most males his age, but he was faster than Signy or Eret when he was on the back of Toothless. He was a little gangly in the limbs, but Valka had assured him that he would grow into them one day. For now, his preferred method of transport was dragon-back. When it came to fighting, he preferred to use a sword he'd made himself that was coated in Monstrous Nightmare gel on one side and spilled Zippleback gas on the other, perfect for lighting explosions and taming wild dragons. He was more of a 'talk first, fight if things get bad' type; it was a stark contrast with the 'stab first, ask questions later' personality of his sister.

Signy was also thirteen (of course) and had started growing more than Hiccup. For now, she was a few inches taller and she'd also begun what Valka had referred to as 'the first change' and the monthly blood. As a result, she was even more temperamental than usual during a certain time of the month. Like Hiccup, she and Eret had begun helping their mother free captured dragons from the traps—like the one they'd found Toothless in. From those rescues, Signy had developed a weapon to use in close quarters. She'd tipped her gloves with small Nadder spikes dipped in Speed Stinger venom—absolutely perfect for knocking out those she was fighting with. For the sake of safety (and at the insistence of her mother and brother), she also carried a small dagger and a sword (for her 'stab first' policy).

Eret was well on his way to manhood at the age of fifteen and was also considered a rather attractive teenager by many. He'd managed to find himself a dragon as well—a Rumblehorn he'd named Skullcrusher. He had gone through a bit of a change himself, being the middle ground between the feisty Signy and the diplomatic Hiccup. He loved to stay near Signy at all costs, since he'd begun to fall for her. Freeing captured dragons was perfect work to stick near her and to feel a sense of pride about the world he was helping to make peace in.

"Johann is expecting us—if you want books, find something else to trade!" Signy sighed pointedly.

"Like what?" Signy bent down and picked up a Nightmare scale.

"How about scales, teeth, and claws? Mom said that people think they have healing properties, and I bet Johann would exploit that."

"Good idea." Hiccup spent ten minutes filling his bag with dragon paraphernalia before turning to Eret and Signy. "Well, let's go meet Trader Johann!"

Naturally, none of the three 'dragon children' used their real names. Instead, they'd all gone with names that were in line with their dragons. Signy was Thorn, Eret was Skull, and Hiccup was Dusk. On the rare occasion Valka _did_ go to a village, she went under the name Cloud. It was easier to hide their identities from those who might exploit them for profit. Those were the names Trader Johann knew them by, and that was the way it would stay.

It was much safer that way.

* * *

Johann caught sight of Thorn first.

The girl was pretty for a thirteen-year-old, with brilliant red hair that made her impossible to miss spotting from a distance—even on dragon-back. Her brother and best friend weren't far behind, their bags full of the herbs he was sure they were carrying. They were unavailable in the Archipelago and only grew this far north. He didn't know their real names or where they came from, but they were some of his best trade partners—discreet, useful, and exclusively trading with him. He wasn't even afraid of their dragons anymore!

"Ah, good day, Miss Thorn!" he greeted the girl. She gave him a smile as she and her two companions dismounted, leaving the dragons on the shore.

"And good day to you, Johann!" she greeted him in kind. "I have your herbs."

"Excellent!" Johann rubbed his hands together as the girl began to set them out.

"And that's it!" she declared. "We have other things to trade this time!"

"You do?"

"Yep!" replied Dusk, opening his bag and holding out… dragon scales, claws, and teeth.

"My goodness, Master Dusk! This is most valuable indeed."

"Worth a few books, wouldn't you say?"

"More than a few, boy! Worth my entire collection, if the whole bag is full!"

"I'll get the basics," Skull offered as Dusk counted out the teeth and scales. Thorn chose to grab some ink and parchment, as well as a couple maps. Dusk grabbed six books and put them into his bag, ready to bring them home.

"It was wonderful to see you, Johann!" Signy told the merchant.

"And to see you as well, Miss Thorn! I'll be sure to tell the Vikings down south about you!"

"About us?"

"You and your wonderful dragons!" Dusk grimaced.

"Maybe leave out the dragons. Mom says that the people down south aren't as accepting of dragons as you."

"Of course. I'll simply say you're magnificent people who I met on my travels!"

"Not a problem."

Johann wished them farewell and headed south.

His first stop? Berk.

* * *

"I simply _must_ tell you of my most loyal herb-trading partners, children!" Johann told the five aboard his boat.

"Ugh, _herbs_?" groaned Snotlout.

"Yes, and recently…" Johann reached into a crate and pulled out a Night Fury scale. "Dragon scales, teeth, and claws."

"Whoa!" Fishlegs breathed, taking the scale and looking it over. "I've never seen this kind before!"

"It belonged to a _Night Fury_."

" _No way!_ " the twins gasped.

"Who are they?" Astrid inquired.

"Well, there's three of them—two of them not much older than you five."

"And they're slaying _Night Furies_?!" Snotlout replied. "No way!"

"Ah, but Miss Thorn, the lone female of their group, is much like Miss Astrid here. She tends to stab first, ask questions later. Her brother, Master Dusk, is rather more diplomatic. I can't count how many times he's stopped his sister from harming a person who insulted her. And then there's Master Skull."

"He sounds _awesome_ ," Tuffnut declared.

"He's the eldest of the three—fifteen, I think. The others are thirteen-year-old twins."

"I want to work with them!" Ruffnut whined.

"You'll have to find a way up north. They don't like entering the Archipelago for any reason."

Stoick rubbed his chin. Thirteen-year-old and fifteen-year-old dragon slayers? It seemed unlikely, but the north was a different country. It was said to be much rougher and harder to live in than the Archipelago, which had snow nine months of the year and hail the other three. The idea of parents letting their children fight young wasn't unheard of.

"What do they look like?"

"Well, Miss Thorn is very pretty. With her personality, she'd make a fine chieftess."

"That settles it—I'm going to go up north and bring Thorn back her to be my bride," Snotlout laughed. He patted Astrid's shoulder. "Sorry, Astrid. A wild woman from the north would make a much better chieftess than you."

Astrid rolled her eyes.

* * *

 **I know these chapters are short, but they'll get longer. All these beginning chapters are just setting up for the main event. Next time, our trio decides to investigate the dragon raids!**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	5. Finding the Queen And Berk

The sun broke over the ocean as Signy sat up from Bramble's side. She stood up and stretched, gazing at the water ahead. Behind her, Hiccup and Eret were still asleep next to their respective dragons. She wasn't surprised; out of the three of them, she was the earliest riser. Especially now that they were in the Barbaric Archipelago. They needed to keep an eye out for the Vikings that would kill them in an instant for their dragons, or for siding with them in the first place. Her gut wouldn't let her sleep for long.

"Time to get up!" she announced before tapping Bramble's side. Bramble raised her head and let out a loud squawk that woke their companions.

" _Augh_!" Hiccup yelped, falling over. " _Really_ , Sig? Again?!"

"It's too much fun, brother dearest."

Yes, they were older now. The twins were both seventeen, making Eret nineteen. Hiccup, as his mother had predicted, had grown into his gangly limbs and much taller than his sister. He was at least six foot two, making him just an inch or two taller than Eret. Signy was around five foot nine. All three were reasonably strong and agile in their near-adult state. With that came rebelliousness, and with that rebelliousness came wanderlust. Valka had allowed them to leave for a while and stretch their 'wings', so to speak, so they were out on their own.

It had been Hiccup's idea to end the dragon war in the Archipelago.

"How are we going to find the source?" Signy had asked when Hiccup had proposed it.

"Follow the signals until we find one that's violent and hungry," Hiccup had replied simply. "We'll set up a base and go from there."

Now they were making their way across the ocean, travelling as far away from people as they could. Eret had picked up on the very signal they'd been seeking a couple of days earlier, so they were following that.

Hopefully, the queen wasn't hungry.

* * *

 _Holy Thor._

I stared at the Dragon Queen in her pit, staring hungrily at the ceiling as she put out the call for food. My heart pounded as I felt tempted to heed her call, but I just shook my head and thought of the King. I signaled for Bramble to do the same. As quietly as I could, we slipped out of the nest and towards where we'd left Hiccup and Eret, on an island about half-an-hour's flight from the nest. A lump formed in my throat as I realized I was flying over a heavily-populated Viking village. I landed in the little cove we'd found.

"How big is she?" Eret asked.

"Let me put it this way—the only dragon I've ever seen that's bigger is the King," I choked out, shivering. "It was so hard to block her out."

"Well, we should have an easy time with this place as a base," Hiccup assured me, taking my coat out of his saddlebag and putting it around me. "Just fight it, Sig, and we should be fine."

"There are people on the island," I told him. "A village. A whole village."

"As long as we stay here, we'll be fine," Eret assured me. "Let's go find some game. Hiccup, maybe you can find us some non-poisonous berries."

"Yeah, true."

"Stay here, guys," Hiccup told the dragons. The three of them nodded and laid down.

* * *

Bucket always felt nervous out in the woods. He and Mulch had been put in charge of patrolling the forest that morning for trouble, and he was scared they'd actually find something. They were heading to the Raven's Point Cove now, a place that never had trouble.

That was before he noticed a large red and green dragon sleeping in the sun. A Deadly Nadder and a freaking _Night Fury_ were sleeping nearby.

" _Mulch!_ " he yelped. " _Dragons!_ "

Mulch spotted them, too, and he panicked.

"Let's get back to the village!"

Before too long, they'd returned with most of Berk's men and women, all armed to the teeth and ready to take down three dragons. It was easy, since they had the element of surprise. All three put up a fight, but it was in vain. They were carted off to the arena.

The Vikings didn't realize there were three dragon riders watching them.

"I'm going to lop their heads off!" Signy growled before her brother grabbed the arm that was reaching for her knife.

"Sig, we have to think this through," he urged her. "There's dozens of them and three of us. And we don't have our dragons!"

"We're _screwed_ unless we get them back, Hiccup," she snapped.

"Let's stay here and think of a plan."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the village, Astrid had seen the three dragons brought in. She felt confused by the bags that had been tossed to the side, and curious as to where they had come from. She grabbed her axe and headed into the forest, following the trail left by the dragons being taken. The cove was where they'd been found, she'd heard, and in the cove, she could see a girl crouching by the pond. She was clutching a sword and stabbing at the water. She obviously wasn't trying to catch anything, but Astrid crept closer, breaking a twig in the process.

"HYYYAAHH!" the girl howled, leaping to her feet and rushing Astrid with her sword. Astrid put up her axe to defend herself and the two began dueling. The girl was obviously experienced in combat, since she was going toe-to-toe with Astrid Hofferson and was keeping up.

"You're not too bad!" Astrid panted, pausing to catch her breath.

"Neither are you!" the girl complimented, leaning on her sword.

"I'm Astrid. You?"

"Thorn."

Astrid felt her stomach drop. This was the wild girl of the north they'd heard so much about from Trader Johann.

"A-are you from the north?" Astrid asked.

"Yes," the girl replied. "I assume you heard about me from Johann?"

"Yes! You're a dragon-slaying _master_!"

"I wouldn't say that."

"So, where are Dusk and Skull, your buddies?"

"Hunting. I'm surprised Dusk didn't come out here. He hates it when I pick fights." She glanced back at the woods, shaking her head.

"Well, what are you three doing on our island?"

Before Thorn could answer, Astrid heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see two men. Both were handsome in their own way, but the black-haired one with the big muscles wasn't exactly to her taste. The auburn-haired one with the green eyes, however—he caught her attention and that made her want to punch him in the face. He was staring at her as he dropped the bird he was holding.

"T-Thorn! Who's this?" he asked.

"This is Astrid. Astrid, this is Skull and Dusk." She leaned over to Astrid. "The fishbone is Dusk, my twin."

"Hey, not a fishbone, sis."

"Whatever!" Thorn smirked and picked up her sword, placing back on her belt.

"What are you three doing on our island?" Astrid asked.

"Our boat crashed," Skull replied smoothly. "We had to swim to the nearest island, which happened to be yours."

"Ah. In that case, as the Shield Maiden of Berk, I am placing all three of you under house arrest until we can be sure we can trust you."

"Did you say _Berk_?" squeaked Thorn, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes, _Berk_. Home of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. What's wrong with that?"

"N-nothing," Dusk stammered. "It's just… we've heard things about Berk…"

"Eh. Let's go. I've got to find you three a place to stay."

* * *

In the village, everyone was whispering about the new arrivals, the ones they'd been hearing about for years. Thorn caught the attention of Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut, while Skull had caught Ruffnut's eye. It was decided within a few minutes of their arrival that Dusk would be staying with Gobber, Thorn would be with Astrid, and Eret would be staying at the Jorgensons. It was the best way to keep an eye on them. Not to mention Thorn and Dusk were suddenly both _extremely_ jumpy around anyone over the age of twenty-five.

"Well, you probably want to get out of that armor," Astrid sighed to Signy once they were in Astrid's room. "I think we're about the same size…" Her voice trailed off as she saw Thorn staring out the window.

"Astrid, where's your chief?" she asked.

"He's away on business," Astrid replied.

"Who is he? Is he still Stoick the Vast?"

"Of course. He's going to be chief until he passes the torch to… Snotlout." Astrid shuddered.

"Was he that one who kept trying to grab my hand?"

"Yeah, that's Snotlout. He thinks he's the gods' gift to humanity."

"Typical male, then."

"You have Skull and Dusk."

"Neither of them are typical." She stared at the floor. "I'm not typical, either."

"Hell no, you aren't. A typical girl wouldn't have been able to keep up with me the way you did."

 _That's not what I meant, but I can't tell you otherwise._

And so the trio came to Berk.

* * *

 **Yes, the chapters are short because I wanted to get them to Berk as fast as possible. The next few chapters will consist of the village meeting their heirs (not that they know that) and the trio getting used to being around people instead of dragons.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	6. Half-Truth, Half-Lie

Life on Berk was simple compared to what Hiccup, Eret, and Signy were used to. Instead of flying around and freeing dragons, tending to the wounded ones, taking care of the herb garden, and grooming their dragons, they now found themselves given tasks by the people of Berk. Hiccup had quickly shown his prowess in the forge that he'd developed at the Alpha's Nest and became Gobber's assistant. Eret drifted over to the fishing boats—no easy task for a person used to fishing with the King. Signy mainly followed Astrid around, unsure of what to do until Astrid suggested they do battle training.

They, of course, visited their dragons whenever they could to ensure they were being cared for. It wasn't easy, but Hiccup had gotten an idea of the guard schedule that would work to their advantage. According to Astrid, they were keeping the Night Fury and the breed they didn't know for when Stoick returned. The Nadder would simply be added to the training classes. It made Signy sick to hear it, but she knew that the Berkians didn't know better.

On the other hand, Signy could tell her brother was starting to fall for Astrid. He normally had a rather smooth pattern of speaking, but he turned into a stammering mess whenever he talked to Astrid. Signy thought it was both adorable and hilarious and she teased him at every opportunity.

It didn't take long for the three to become trusted parts of the village.

* * *

"You _really_ built this yourself?"

Gobber could tell that his shocked tone had made Dusk swell a bit with pride.

"Yes, I did. I call it the Dragon Blade. The blade of the sword is coated with Monstrous Nightmare gel, which burns for hours and hours." Gobber looked at the hilt, which had two buttons near the end.

"What's this?"

"Oh, that end has Zippleback gas. One button lets it out, the other lights it. Handy for quick getaways or keeping your sister from attacking somebody."

"That Thorn has a temper, doesn't she?"

"She's always been like that. Stab first, ask questions later."

"That must be how she and Astrid get along so well."

"First time they met, they fought, sword versus axe."

"Not surprised. You three snuck on the island somehow, without _anybody_ noticing, and she found yer sister stabbing at a pond with a sword."

"And that's not surprising, either."

Gobber smiled as he watched Dusk work. The boy was the same age Hiccup would've been, and his sister, too. The smile faded as he thought of Stoick's children, how happy they could've been. How happy _Stoick_ would've been. He'd doted on the twins from the moment they were born—even having Gobber make Hiccup a tiny axe and Signy a crescent-moon necklace. There was no doubt in Gobber's mind that they would've been the happiest family on Berk… if _only_ that damned dragon hadn't taken Valka and the twins. It was a sad and sobering thought.

"What's wrong?"

Gobber realized Dusk was staring at him, a confused look on his face.

"Nothin's wrong!"

"You have the same look on your face that Skull gets when he thinks about his birth parents."

"Yeah… I was just thinkin' about the chief's family. He had a son and daughter—in fact, if they were still alive, they'd be your age."

"What happened to them?"

"Carried off by a dragon when they were five months old along with their mother."

"How sad." Dusk went back to his work, but he'd started the wheels turning in the blacksmith's head.

 _Now that I think about it, you look an awful lot like Valka and Stoick. Eh. Just a coincidence._

* * *

"…and then I pushed him off of Johann's boat," Signy finished. She was polishing her sword while she, Astrid, and Ruffnut had some 'girl time'. It mostly consisted of upkeeping weapons and swapping battle stories.

"Let's talk about something else," Ruffnut suggested, putting down her spear. "Like boys."

"What's there to talk about?" Astrid laughed. "I mean, there aren't a lot of options."

"What about Dusk?" Signy asked teasingly.

"How about _no_?"

"Well, _I'm_ interested in Skull!" Ruffnut announced with a smirk. "He's _hot_."

"I don't think he's interested in you," Astrid replied. "He's always staring at Thorn."

"Eh," Signy shrugged. "I choose to focus on my work."

"Yeah—killing dragons!" Ruffnut laughed. "Trader Johann told us you've killed Night Furies!"

"He said that?"

"Isn't it true?" Astrid tilted her head.

"No… we study dragons. We tend to spend a lot of time near various nests and breeding grounds where dragons drop scales and claws and teeth naturally, like how humans lose fingernails and hair. It's still dangerous work, though, and we don't get too close." It was a lie, but not a complete lie. "It's fascinating, really, how much we don't know about dragons. They have a mating season, for instance, and I found out the hard way that Gronckle eggs explode." She took off one of her gloves to reveal a large burn scar on her hand.

"Ouch!" Astrid shuddered. "I've got a few scars, too."

"Yeah, but you got yours from battle. I got mine from being too curious."

"Gronckle eggs explode?!" Ruffnut asked excitedly.

"Yeah. The moms push the eggs into water before they hatch so that nobody gets hurt. And Nadder babies have massive heads…"

* * *

That night, Astrid had trouble sleeping.

She had noted the sparkle in Thorn's eyes as she talked about her work as a dragon researcher. Evidently, she loved her job and it was even stranger that they were staying on Berk instead of going home. Berk was famous for its dragon-killing heritage and the three strangers were notably against that. If Astrid had been in their position, she would've taken the first boat back north and never come back.

So why stay? It didn't make sense!

There was a creak of floorboards in the hall. Astrid narrowed her eyes and peeked through the crack in the door. Thorn was slipping down the stairs, odd considering the time. The Shield Maiden crept from her room and out the door, following her 'guest' and making sure to stay out of sight. To her confusion, Thorn was heading for the arena. Once inside, she went straight for the dragon cages. Astrid remained at the top of the arena, where spectators had watched her kill a Monstrous Nightmare three years prior.

"Hi, guys," Astrid heard Thorn say as she _unlocked the cages and let the dragons out!_ "How are you?"

The dragons walked around the arena, stretching their wings and tails. The Nadder that had been captured with the Night Fury went back over to Thorn and started nuzzling her. Thorn laughed and hugged the Sharp-Class dragon's head.

"Yeah, Bramble, I've missed you, too," she sighed. "It's hard to get out here." The Night Fury bounded over and nudged her with its head. "And I didn't forget about you, Toothless. We're being watched almost all the time, so we can't all come down here."

 _Is she…_ cuddling _them?!_

"We're just waiting for Stoick to come back, then we'll start planning again. It's time for this war to end."

 _She's going to murder Stoick?!_

The Nadder raised its head and looked straight at Astrid. Thorn followed its gaze and gasped.

 _BUSTED._

"Well, I'm caught," Thorn grumbled. "Come on down, Astrid."

Astrid entered the arena and was greeted with hostile growls from the dragons, who surrounded Thorn protectively.

"No, she's a friend," Thorn assured them. The dragons backed down.

"What the Hel?" Astrid asked. "How are you doing that?"

"I may have… fibbed a little. I'm not just a dragon researcher."

"Then… what are you?"

"I'm a dragon rider and rescuer."

"Wait, _rider_?!"

"Skull, Dusk, and I all ride dragons. Bramble is mine, hence my name. Toothless is Dusk's and Skullcrusher belongs to Skull."

"So _that's_ how you got on Berk."

"Yep."

"I can't believe this."

"Most people refuse to believe dragons can be docile. It all depends on the species and the nest the dragon belongs to."

"I can't believe there are people like that up north." Thorn's face fell.

"There's… there's not, really. As far as I know, there's only four of us. Me, Skull, Dusk, and Mom." She looked at Astrid. "I was raised in a dragon nest."

Astrid's jaw dropped.

* * *

 **I have been gone way too long from this story, given the frequent updates you got initially.**

 **Yep. Astrid now knows half of the truth of the mysterious newcomers—dragon riders/rescuers from the north. She won't find out the rest of the truth for a while.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	7. Bonding with Dragons and Humans

" _What?!_ "

"I know it sounds insane to a girl who grew up in a village of murderers, but I did grow up in a dragon's nest. So did Dusk."

"What about Skull?"

"I pulled him out of the ocean when I was eight. We brought him back to our nest and he's been with us ever since."

"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this."

"I know it's a lot to take in."

"Show me." Thorn stared. "Show me how this works. Show me how gentle dragons are if it's true."

"Okay. Tomorrow. The sun will be rising in a few hours, and I'm not the best to teach you. Dusk is more patient, and his turn is in two days. It's Skull's turn tomorrow."

"Fine."

"Back in, guys," Thorn clucked. The dragons went back inside and the Nadder—Bramble, right?—gave Thorn what must've been a Nadder kiss. "Good girl, Bramble. Good night!"

Astrid walked with Thorn back to her house, a smile on the redhead's face. They were definitely starting to open up a bit more to each other. Astrid didn't notice Thorn had stopped for a few moments, then noticed her staring at the Chief's house.

"Who lives there?" Thorn asked.

"Chief Stoick."

"And his wife?"

"No. His wife was taken in a dragon raid eighteen years ago, and he never remarried. He also lost both his children—a son named Hiccup and a daughter named Signy. That's why there's a hole in the side of his house—so he never forgets."

" 'Those we've lost never truly die, as long as we keep them in our memory.' My mom told me that when I was ten. A Titanwing Gronckle passed away, one that had kept me and Dusk out of trouble for as long as we could remember, and I was refusing to come out of my cave or eat. Mom was worried and told me that little number, hoping to assuage my grief. It worked, but I never forgot Stoneheart."

"The Chief's situation is a little different—"

"Because he lost his human family and not a dragon?" Thorn sighed and shook her head. "Astrid, dragons and humans aren't that different. We both love, laugh, play pranks, mourn, hold grudges, and raise families. We protect. We give loyalty to our leaders, which is Berk's problem."

"Because we're loyal to Stoick?!"

"No, because the dragons that attack are under the influence of an evil Alpha."

"Alpha?"

"Shush!" Thorn pulled Astrid over to the side, then watched as Gobber locked the door to his home and headed to the forge. Once he was gone, she released the blonde.

"What's the Alpha?"

"The Alpha is the king or queen of a nest. Think of it as like a giant beehive—the dragons that attack are the workers, serving the queen." She balled her fists. "It's not like it is here, not normally. An Alpha protects its nest, and the dragons inside. It provides. The one here is lazy and selfish and gluttonous. She wants nothing more than to be fed by the dragons under her. That's why they raid—because otherwise, _they're_ the food."

Suddenly, it all made sense.

"You're going to kill the Alpha." Thorn nodded.

"She's the problem, Astrid, and once she's gone, the raids will stop. I promise you."

"So what's stopping you?"

"Right now? We have the firepower but no way to get close without our dragons being taken by her." Thorn sat down on a rock. "I can't lose my dragon, Astrid. Neither can Dusk or Skull."

"Shhh… it's fine. Let's get home before my parents wake up."

* * *

Hiccup was going to murder his sister tomorrow.

When he'd arrived at the arena to care for the dragons, he'd found his sister and Astrid already there. Signy had given him a smile and a quick explanation that Astrid wanted to learn, then left. He knew she'd done it on purpose; she knew how he felt about Astrid. Still, Astrid was watching him expectantly, and he couldn't just disappoint her.

"Where do we start?" she asked.

"We'll start by getting you used to dragons and helping you earn their trust. Once you earn a dragon's loyalty, there is _nothing_ they won't do for you." He extended his hand. "Let's start with Toothless."

Toothless bounded out of his cage and tackled Hiccup to the ground, licking his face.

" _Toothless_! You _know_ that doesn't wash out!" Hiccup was laughing. Astrid tilted her head.

"You two seem really close."

"We are. I rescued him from an iron trap when I was ten and helped him heal, and we've been inseparable ever since." He extended his hand and Astrid took it reluctantly. Gently, he led Astrid's hand towards Toothless's face and had her press her palm to the black dragon's nose.

"Wow…" Astrid murmured, feeling a wave of emotion go through her.

"See? Not dangerous."

Astrid looked up to see the blue Nadder standing next to her, sniffing her with interest before beginning to preen her.

"Uhh… what's it doing?"

"Nadders like to make things look nice, and humans are no exception. She's grooming you."

"Okay…" Astrid made a move to put her hand on the Nadder's nose. The Nadder bowed her head and allowed it to happen.

Both Viking and dragon felt the bond forming.

* * *

"It was _amazing_ ," Astrid told Thorn the following morning while they were training in the woods.

"I bet it was. I bonded with Bramble when I was a toddler, and we've been inseparable. We've purposely put ourselves in danger to save each other before." She loosened the high collar she constantly wore to reveal a jagged scar on her throat. "I got this when I was captured by a gang of Dragon Hunters. Their leader, Ryker, cut my throat to send a warning to my family."

"How did you escape?"

"Bramble. She pinned him to the deck and carried me back to Dusk, Skull, and Mom."

"What happened after that?"

"We managed to patch me up."

"No, I meant with Ryker."

"Oh. Well, he's still out there. We couldn't find him again. He's not the big boss, anyway."

"I would've slit his throat."

"I wanted to. I still want to. He was… _ruthless_ , but he still doesn't scare me as much as Drago Bludvist."

"Who?"

"The Dragon Murderer. He's evil. He's been capturing dragons for almost _two decades_ and forcing them to fight for him."

"No way."

"Yes. That's why Mom can't help down here, even though she's the most experienced rider out of all of us. She has to protect the Nest."

"She sounds brave."

"Of course she's brave! She was taken, with her twin babies, away from the only home she'd ever known to a place where she could've easily died of exposure. She raised two energetic and rambunctious kids in a place where just running around could lead to them falling off a cliff."

"Well, that's true on Berk, too."

"That's what Mom said—that Viking islands can be even more dangerous." Thorn stared at the ground.

"It's great to know that you'll stay, even for a little while. Not many people are cut out for this life."

"Not many people are cut out for the life I live, either. It's bad around here, even worse than what my mother told me."

"Your mom's from Berk?"

"She's from the Archipelago. That's all she's told us—not her tribe, not her island. None of that."

 _Liar._

"I'd like to meet her."

"Yeah. You would love her."

* * *

 **And some more character interaction.**

 **Next time, a more fun chapter. I call it…**

 **'The Berk Twin Competition'.**

 **AKA Thorstons VS Haddocks.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	8. Caught and Imprisoned

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy with other stuff, especially since I graduated high school at the beginning of June and I'm starting college in August. It's going to be a massive change for me, even though I'm not leaving home for college. I have to adjust to the new campus and everything, even though this is the college that's** _ **literally**_ **five minutes away from my house. Wish me luck!**

 **Also, I had a mental change in plans for this chapter. I decided to move on with the plot. The twin competition will be moved to later on.**

 _ **OWTF**_ **!**

* * *

Signy was awoken by a loud, thunderous crash outside, followed by the sound of a horn.

"Thorn!" Astrid gasped, throwing open the door. Signy sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "There's a raid!"

"A raid?!" Signy threw off her blankets and put on her armor.

"I'm going to go try and slow down the dragons. You stay here."

 _Screw that, Astrid._

Signy ran out into the fray, where she saw Astrid hitting a dragon with the flat of her axe. It flew away, disoriented, and the Viking girl proceeded to do the same to other dragons she encountered. Signy bit her lip. There were so many dragons… all of them under a terrible, terrible Alpha. She dodged through the crowd before a cry went up from a woman.

"The Chief!" she called. Signy turned to see a _mountain_ of a man making his way through the crowd, fighting every dragon in his path.

 _This is my father?! Oh, Odin…_ _No! Focus, Sig!_

Signy continued on her path, confident nobody was paying attention.

Unfortunately, somebody was.

"Where's Thorn going?" Snotlout asked Tuffnut.

"I have no clue!" Tuffnut brought down a mace on the head of a Nadder. "Let's just get these guys out of here!"

Signy reached the arena, not knowing that she was being followed. Snotlout watched her open the cages, horrified, and ran back down to the village. Once Signy had released all the dragons, she began humming and clicking, much like a mother dragon did to calm her babies. The dragons began doing the same, and they soon calmed down. She sat there until the raid was over, then locked them back away.

"I'll be back," she promised.

She re-entered the village, surveying the carnage. Her heart sank. It appeared, despite the efforts of Astrid, Eret, and Hiccup, several dragons had been slain. Silently, she sent a prayer to the gods for the dragons to be treated well.

" _There she is!_ "

Signy looked up to see Snotlout pointing at her, the Chief and several of the Elders behind him. Spitelout and Hoark came forwards and grabbed her. She struggled against their grip.

"Let me _go!_ " she demanded.

"We have no room for traitors on our island!" declared Spitelout.

"Hey!" Hiccup yelled, running over. "Let her go!"

"Your sister is a traitor to Berk," Spitelout told the boy. "My boy says he saw her release dragons from their pens!"

 _Dammit!_

"So what if I did?!" spat Signy. "They were _terrified_!"

"You could've gotten us all killed!" Stoick snapped to the girl. "I'm afraid we'll have to lock you up so you can't interfere!"

"Then lock me up, too!" The Elders turned to see Hiccup. "I'm her brother. I knew what she was doing."

"And so did I!" Eret added, standing next to the true Heir. "Lock us both up."

"No. The girl and her brother will go. As for you, you'll go under house arrest."

"Curse all of you!" Signy declared.

"Cells, now."

* * *

"What do we know about this girl?"

Stoick stood worriedly by the fire.

"She arrived on the island two months ago. The lanky boy is her twin brother, the larger one is her friend. We have no idea how they got here. We found them the same day we found the three newest dragons."

"Hmm…"

"Odd people. They're from the North, but they talk like they're from here. At least, they _claim_ they're from the North."

"You don't believe it?"

"Nah. The boy's smart. I've seen his skill in the smithy. The girl's a great fighter. I've seen her go toe-to-toe with Astrid and make it out mostly unscathed."

"I can't wrap my head around her releasing dragons…"

"Especially since they're the dragon hunters Johann told us about, years ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Maybe we should question them."

"Good. We'll start with the boy tomorrow."

"Why the Hel did you do that?" Hiccup looked at his sister, who was in the cell across from him.

"And let you take the fall by yourself? No way. You're my sister, Sig, and it's my job to protect you."

"That's a load of yak-shit and you know it. I can take care of myself."

"Mom told me to keep an eye on you because your temper might get you in trouble." Signy tucked her knees under her chin.

"And she was right, wasn't she? I wasn't careful, and we got in trouble."

"Were the dragons okay?"

"Yeah, once I sang a lullaby, they were fine." She was silent for a moment, then giggled. "Not the way I pictured meeting our father, though!"

"Definitely not!" Hiccup laughed, too, then became solemn. "Should we tell him who we are?"

"He wouldn't believe us."

"Maybe he would."

"Maybe, but let's just use it as a last resort, okay?"

"Fine."

"Good night, Hiccup."

"Night, Signy."

* * *

The following morning, Dusk was escorted from his cell and interrogated to no avail. Thorn was brought in afterwards.

"So, you're the famous Thorn?" Stoick asked her.

"Yes." Her answer was short and curt.

"Why were you releasing dragons from their cages?"

"Because they were scared of the raid."

"The _dragons_ were afraid of the raid?"

"Yep." She crossed her arms. "They needed to be calmed down so they didn't hurt themselves or each other."

"Dragons are vicious beasts, girl!"

"No, they're not."

"I believe I know a _bit_ more about dragons than you do."

"You don't."

"I do!"

"You _don't_. You're a child, Thorn."

"I'm eighteen!"

"You've barely experienced the world."

"I've seen as much as you. I've been in battle. I've watched humans and dragons die."

"Have you watched your entire family be ripped away by those devils?"

"No. I haven't. They're not devils."

"Why did you come to Berk?" She looked away and refused to look back at him. "Fine. Rot in your cell."

"I'll do that."

Thorn was escorted back to her cell. Stoick sat back in his seat as Gobber entered the room.

"Didn't go well, eh?"

"She's almost as tight-lipped as her brother and that Skull character."

"Did you ever think about using her as a bargaining chip?" Spitelout asked, coming in. "As soon as we threatened her, the boys gave themselves up. Maybe they'll talk if we do it again?"

"I don't want to hurt her," Stoick sighed.

"She'd give up the village to the dragons if it meant saving them."

"If we can't get anything out of them tomorrow, we'll bluff and tell the boys we're going to hurt her."

* * *

 **Yep. I'm hopping on the 'Spitelout-is-an-asshole' train.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	9. Revelations, part 1

***imitates Nikki from** _ **Camp Camp**_ *** I'm BAAAACK!**

 **In all seriousness though, I'm back and ready to keep writing.**

 **This is one of my favorite stories I've ever written and I'm ready to keep going. I'm actually proud of it for once and I want to show you all just how proud I am.**

* * *

Signy let out a groan as the light came through the tiny window of her cell. She wasn't used to sleeping on a straw pallet anymore. After a couple of months sleeping on the warm furs in Astrid's house, she'd grown soft. She looked across the way and saw her brother crouching on the floor, examining the stone beneath his feet.

"We're not tunneling out of here without a Whispering Death," she joked half-heartedly.

"I'm not trying to tunnel," he replied in a serious tone. "I'm trying to find weaknesses in the structure."

"And?"

"This is solidly built. I haven't found any."

"See, _that's_ why you're the smart one. You think things through. I smash things through."

"Ha, ha." He moved to the walls below his window and she rolled her eyes.

The creak of the metal door to the prison opening caught their attention. Hiccup sat down on his straw pallet and Signy clutched the bars of her cell. Gobber had come down with two bowls of gruel, their breakfast.

"Mornin'!" he greeted the two. Signy stuck out her tongue. "Aw, c'mon, lass. Ya can't blame him for lockin' ya both up. Safety, you know." He passed her the gruel.

"I could go on a hunger strike," she snorted.

"But ye won't. Ye eat more than the twins!"

"True." She began eating, as did Hiccup.

"Yer both goin' back into interrogation today. I'd suggest cooperating."

"Not going to happen," Hiccup stated bluntly. "None of us are going to say anything."

"Ya must have other family, lad—family that's waitin' for the two of ya."

"Just our mother," Signy sighed. "She knew we'd be gone for a while, but Snoggletog's in a month. We've never been apart that long."

"I didn't know they celebrated Snoggletog up north."

"Just our family." She pursed her lips and turned away.

"Hurry and finish, lass. You're first up today."

"Oh, joy." She finished her gruel and he took out the cuffs. She was bound so she couldn't fight him and brought down the hall.

* * *

"So, here we are again."

Stoick kept his gaze on the girl.

"How do you feel after a night in the cells? Ready to tell us why you came here?"

"Nope."

"You tell us and we'll move you to simple house arrest. You'll have more comfortable quarters and more freedoms."

"I can take your prison." She moved her bound hands enough to reveal the jagged scar on her neck. "I've had worse. Berkians are far less terrifying than the Dragon Hunters or Drago Bludvist."

Stoick froze. She'd faced Drago before?

No wonder she and her companions refused to crack.

"Did Drago do that?"

"No. One of his lackeys did. Cut my throat to send a message to my family."

"Where's that man now?"

"Still on the seas. We never found him again."

He was starting to understand why she said she'd seen as much as he had.

"What if we helped you with Drago and this man?"

"I still wouldn't tell you anything. I don't trust you and nothing you've done makes me trust you."

Blue-green eyes met blue-green eyes—both sets filled with stubbornness and determination.

"We'll pick this up tomorrow." He sent her out and had Dusk and Skull brought in one at a time. Both of them were equally as tight-lipped, refusing to answer his questions. He was losing patience with these prisoners now. The most he'd gotten out of them was that they didn't trust him—understandable, given their circumstances.

"And now we threaten the girl," Spitelout spoke up. Stoick nodded.

The two boys were brought back in, both bound and looking confused.

"We've had enough of this act," Stoick informed them. "I'm giving both of you one last chance—tell us why you're here."

"Never," spat Dusk.

"I'd rather die," Skull added.

"So, you'd risk your life to keep your silence. What about the life of another—say, a young girl with bright red hair?"

"You wouldn't!" yelped Dusk. "Not her."

"If you don't tell us what we want to know, we'll execute her for treason. These are desperate times."

"You _can't_!"

"Then give it up."

Dusk and Skull looked at each other, worried.

"We can't tell you," Dusk sighed, shaking his head. "It's for several reasons. For one, the safety of our mother back home. For another, the dragons."

"I know that you three have faced down foes that I can't imagine. I saw your sister's scar. One of Drago's men did that to her?"

"We barely got her out of there. He wanted to kill her for what she knew, too. The only difference was that we were able to rescue her because of our dragons. Please, don't hurt her."

"Take Skull away," declared Stoick. "I want to have a conversation with this young man."

Skull was taken from the interrogation room and Dusk found himself pulled out of the prison entirely. Stoick brought Dusk to his own home, where the hole in the side was still visible. Dusk gulped as the chief started a fire.

"Sit down, lad. I wanted to have a peaceful talk with you."

"So you're not going to hurt Thorn?"

"I don't want to, but I might have to. You're from the north, so you might not understand this, but a chief protects his own. That means doing things that you might not otherwise. So, why are the three of you here?"

Dusk gulped; he really didn't have a choice, did he?

"We… we came to take care of the Nest."

"I don't believe you, not after what your sister did to release them."

"Not the way you're trying to. We only need to take care of _one_ dragon to stop the raids. But she won't go down easily."

"Come now. What do you mean?"

"I mean that this dragon is bigger than any you've ever seen in the Archipelago. She's the queen of the Nest. Take care of her and the raids stop for good."

"But… it's difficult?"

"Like I said, she's massive. There's only one species I know of that's bigger—the Bewilderbeast, the King of Dragons."

"So kill the queen, stop the raids. Seems simple. Even with her size, we can kill her."

"We came to Berk to use the cove as headquarters for our attack—assess, plan, and carry out that plan. Our dragons were taken and that was no longer possible."

"Oh."

Dusk seemed on edge, like he'd betrayed somebody. Possibly his sister.

Suddenly, there were shouts outside. Stoick ran to the hole in the house to see what was going on—only to see a dragon raid happening in the middle of the day! At least, that's what it appeared at first. But these dragons had a very specific target—the prison.

"Spitfire!" Dusk yelled, appearing at Stoick's side. A yellow and orange Nadder tilted its head before squawking to a dragon behind it.

Then a roar rang out, one that was burned into the memory of the chief. It was the roar of a Stormcutter dragon. The beast flew overhead, a rider in strange-looking armor on its back holding a staff. The Stormcutter hovered just above the ground, its rider leaping to the ground and rushing towards the prison. Dusk sped in the same direction, Stoick hot on his heels.

"That's close enough, rider!" they heard Spitelout snarl. He was holding Thorn by her arms, leaving her unable to fight back against him. A knife was to her throat. "Come any closer and the girl dies!"

"No, don't!" choked out Thorn.

"Put down your staff, Dragon Rider. Don't think I don't recognize your beast. It's the same one that carried off my sister, more than eighteen years ago."

He pressed the knife harder, beads of blood appearing where the blade met her skin. Quietly, the Dragon Rider lowered their staff. Dusk stopped dead in his tracks, staring in horror at the scene. The villagers were doing the same, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Stoick felt a sense of anger at seeing the way this girl was being treated, especially given that he had the information he wanted.

A cry went up from the back of the crowd.

"SIGNY!"

And Stoick swore his heart stopped.

* * *

 ***blinks***

 **Yeah, lackluster chapter today. I'm in a bit of a weird spot in my life right now, between school and having a new job and everything, so this is what you get for now. Fallout will be next chapter.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	10. Revelations, Part 2

Complete silence had fallen over the crowd. Thorn had stopped struggling and was staring at the person who had spoken—none other than Skull himself. He was frozen, as if he couldn't believe the name that had come out of his mouth, either. Even Spitelout was agape at what had just transpired. Nobody dared move a muscle; the only sound was that of the dragons growling at Spitelout and attempting to get him to release Thorn.

Stoick was the first to speak.

"What did you just call her?"

"I-I—"

"Signy." Thorn had been the one to reply, Spitelout having loosened his grip enough that she was able to get free and sink to the ground. "He called me Signy."

"I-is… is that your name?"

"…yes."

Suddenly, events from the past few days replayed in his head and he could see things he couldn't believe he'd missed. Thorn's stubbornness and wild hair. Dusk's insistence on protecting his own. Thorn's laugh. Dusk's quiet determination. All of them were part of Valka. And… if her name was Signy…

"Then… you're Hiccup, aren't you?" he asked Dusk, turning to the young man. Dusk stiffened, then nodded.

"The heirs of Berk have come home," whispered somebody in the crowd. Thorn ( _Signy_ , Stoick reminded himself) stood up and dashed to the armored person who'd arrived, hiding behind the Stormcutter.

"How is this possible?!" Spitelout spat, throwing his blade to the ground. "You were carried off by that beast, along with your mother! You should be dead!"

"Well, that's the thing about us," Hiccup told his uncle. "We tend not to die when we're supposed to."

"You're alive…" Stoick's voice was full of emotion. "Then your mother must be—"

He was cut off by the roar of a dragon. The large red-and-green beast that had been caught the day his children came home came barreling through the crowd. Everyone parted as the Night Fury and the purple Nadder followed it. The Night Fury joined Hiccup and the Nadder began to nuzzle Signy. As if a signal to all the dragons, the armored person waved their staff and the dragons took to the air. Signy, Hiccup, and their companion (no clue what his actual name was) climbed onto each of their respective dragons and within a minute… they were gone.

Stoick had lost his family again.

All because he wanted to kill dragons.

* * *

"You _moron_!"

Eret yelped as Signy threw a Nadder spine at him, narrowly dodging it. Skullcrusher let out a little roar at the action.

"I'm sorry, Angel! It just slipped out!"

"Just slipped out?! It just _slipped out_?! You completely blew our cover!"

"You were about to have your throat slit! Again! How was I supposed to react?!"

"I don't know—maybe _not_ reveal my identity to everyone in the village where I was born!"

They'd stopped on an island so that the dragons could feed, and Hiccup had gone off with Valka to find some food for their group. And also to avoid his sister's wrath towards Eret. He completely understood her anger, too; they'd just spent two months trying to hide their identities from the residents of Berk, only to have their cover blown in an instant. But he'd leave the hot-headed yelling to his sister.

"Look, if I hadn't said anything, you'd be _dead_ right now. You're alive, and we're in a much better position to take on the Queen. And Valka's here, in the Archipelago, for the first time since the three of you were taken. For a few moments, you had a reunited family."

Signy blinked, and he could see tears in her eyes.

"Angel, are you—"

She didn't say anything, but she punched him in the arm.

"That's for blowing our cover." Following that, she kissed him on the cheek. "And that's for saving my life."

"Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Yeah." She wiped some of the tears away. "Besides, now we have an ally on Berk."

"Astrid. That's right—Hiccup was teaching her!"

"And during the raid where I was arrested, she was refusing to hurt dragons. She was top of her class at the Dragon Academy, and if we can convince her, then I bet we can convince my father that dragons aren't as evil as he thinks."

"How long until you go back?"

"I'm leaving in two days. The dragons from the Alpha's Nest need to rest, so that gives me a time frame to figure this out."

"Then I'm going with you."

"No, I'm going alone. One of us will be fine; any more will cause trouble. I'll have Astrid send a Terror-mail if something happens, okay?"

"Got it. Just… promise me that nothing will happen."

"Look, I'm Signy Haddock. I cannot promise in any way, shape, or form that nothing will happen. But I'll do my damnedest to make sure nothing does."

"Good luck, then."

* * *

Astrid kept her gaze on Stoick, who hadn't said a word since the dragons had gone away. Everyone had gone to the Great Hall once their prisoners were gone and wanted to hear what the Chief had to say about the new development that had just transpired. But he'd remained silent—trying to process that his family was still alive, she guessed, after so many years of anger towards dragons for taking them away from him.

"Er, Stoick…?" questioned Gobber. "What do you want us to do?"

"…what can we do? I imprisoned my children, treated them like criminals, and drove them away. I don't have any hope of reuniting with them now."

"It was my fault," Spitelout sighed. "I tried to kill the lass. I had no idea who she was. If I had…"

"None of us had any idea," Astrid spoke up. "We had no way of knowing. But now we know that dragons didn't kill your family."

"His family instead sided with the dragons!" snarled Mildew.

"Mildew, shut up!" snapped Stoick. The old man obeyed, closing his mouth rather than retorting. "Now, obviously, they knew they were from Berk and purposely concealed their identities from us, probably so they could achieve their goal."

"And what goal would that be?" inquired one of the other men.

"To destroy the Dragon Queen and end the war for good."

Murmurs broke out among those gathered, all wondering how that had come up in conversation. Astrid could feel a need to tell Stoick everything she'd been told by the twins, like how loyal dragons could be if that loyalty was earned, or Signy's plans to take down the Queen, but any of that would bring _her_ into question. Her loyalty to Berk and her reliability in this never-ending war.

She had to find the Haddock twins again, but how?

 _"So, what if I wanted to track something down?"_

 _"Well, like I said, Nadders and Rumblehorns are both Tracker Class. They can follow scents for miles. It's how Thorn always found me when we played hide-and-seek as kids."_

As soon as the meeting was over, Astrid booked it to the arena and grabbed some rope before letting Stormfly out of her cage. The blue-and-yellow Nadder squawked happily at the arrival of her rider, and gladly submitted to be ridden.

"What are you doing?"

She yelped at the appearance of Fishlegs in the doorway of the arena. He wasn't alone either—instead, he was accompanied by Snotlout and the twins.

"I'm, uh…" Stormfly let out a growl, extending her wings to protect Astrid from this threat. Snotlout grabbed a shield.

"Watch out, Astrid!" he yelled.

"No! Don't hurt her!"

"Hurt _her_?! It's a dragon, Astrid!"

"And she won't hurt me!" She touched Stormfly's nose with her hand and the dragon calmed almost immediately. "See? That's a good girl…"

"Ugh! You're just like Dusk and Thorn!"

"And they're right! They were _raised_ in a Dragon's Nest, and they know dragons better than we do. They showed me that dragons are good and loyal creatures who will do anything for you once you earn that loyalty."

"That's… interesting," Fishlegs commented. "So, what were you doing with… your dragon?"

"I was going to go find the others and bring them back. They had a plan to stop the raids for good and I'm going to help."

"Then at least let us come with you."

Astrid nodded and grabbed some rope.

"You'll need a way to hang on."

* * *

 **WHOOOOOO DONE!**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	11. Reunion

Astrid felt the wind blowing through her hair and smiled.

It was the first time she'd been on Stormfly by herself, every other time being accompanied by Hiccup while he taught her the finer points of flying, and she _loved_ the absolute _freedom_ that flying gave her. Signy had mentioned never wanting to come down from the sky when she flew and Astrid could see what she meant. _Gods_ , it was exhilarating! She glanced behind her to see that the others were indeed keeping up, however slowly.

"So… where are we going?" Fishlegs asked.

"Stormfly's tracking them and leading the way," Astrid explained. "I'm basically just following her."

"How long have you been flying her?"

"This is actually the first time I've been out on her by myself like this. Usually, Hiccup's on her with me to teach me how to handle her right."

"Ooh, you aiming to be Chieftess to the talking fishbone?" mocked Snotlout.

"He's the one who taught me because he had more patience than Signy. Simple as that."

"It's so _weird_ to think that they're the long-lost heirs to the island," Tuffnut mused. "I mean, they've always been kinda weird around us."

"Yeah, like whenever she talked about the Gronckle eggs exploding?" added Ruffnut. "She was so _into it_ and it was weird because even _I'm_ not that into explosions."

"I think with her it was more seeing baby dragons hatch," Astrid explained. "Plus all the scars she gets from living with dragons."

"And that gnarly one on her throat!"

"Uh, that's not from a dragon. That was from a Dragon Hunter."

"Whoa. He cut her throat?"

"She didn't give him information."

A thought occurred to Astrid. If Dragon Hunters had gone after the Haddock twins for information, who was to say they wouldn't do the same to her and the rest of Berk?

 _Let them try it. I'll separate their heads from their shoulders if they do._

"Astrid?!"

She looked to see Signy flying towards them, pulling Bramble to a stop in midair. To the shock of all the teens, Bramble hovered closer, allowing Signy to stand up in her saddle and _walk across the dragon's wings_ to stand on Astrid's dragon.

"How did you…?" gasped Ruffnut in awe.

"Practice. Now, what are you doing out here?!"

"We're… we're here to bring you back to Berk," Astrid replied.

"I was already on my way back."

"And Hiccup?"

"Staying with Mom and Eret on an island. So, let me guess: Stoick wants our help."

"Exactly."

"Okay." Signy walked back across to Bramble and sat down.

"You've _got_ to teach me how to do that," Snotlout insisted. "I mean, we're _family_ , aren't we?"

"True. But I don't think you'll ever be quite advanced enough. I have eighteen years on all of you."

"You've been teaching Astrid."

"No, _Hiccup_ has been teaching Astrid. I've only taught one person how to fly and she's doing some work for my mother at the moment."

"So… the Chieftess is alive?" whispered Fishlegs. "She's really alive?"

"Alive and well and going to be pissed at me for leaving again. But she'll likely be following me and my family can have one big happy reunion." She clapped her hands. "Yay."

"You don't seem too happy," Ruffnut commented.

"Well, when your uncle tried to kill you and your father put you in prison…"

They were flying back towards Berk, where the teens hid Signy and Bramble in the cove. Bramble instantly looked into the pond in the middle, sticking her head in and throwing a fish at Signy, which the redhead caught.

"Thanks for dinner." She glanced at the others. "So, what's the plan?"

"Um…" Fishlegs looked to Astrid.

"We were hoping you and your brother had one," admitted the blonde.

"I don't. Sorry to disappoint. Hiccup's all about the plans. I smash things."

"Sweet!" the twins cheered.

"Could you at least tell us what you know about this 'Dragon Queen'?" Fishlegs inquired.

"She's big, I know that. When I was doing my recon, I saw her swallow a Zippleback whole and it fit in her mouth with room to spare. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a Red Death. Nasty species but not the biggest I've seen. That would be the Bewilderbeast—the alpha species."

"Whoa…" Fishlegs fumbled in his pockets before pulling out some paper and a charcoal pencil. "Tell me everything you know."

"The reason the raids happen is because this Red Death is so fat and lazy she doesn't want to hunt her own food, so she forces the others to get it for her. Big dragons are the alphas and they have no choice but to listen. They don't actually eat any of the food they take from Berk; it all goes to her. I saw it myself."

"But dragon raids don't just happen on Berk."

"I know. But she's probably the most vile dragon I've ever met. She needs to die and soon."

She sighed and picked up a stick, drawing with it in the dirt.

"This is the Nest, the one nearest here. It's a dormant volcano and she sleeps in the caldera. There's two ways in and out—one near the base and the other right at the top. I have no idea how we'd fight her inside."

"We wouldn't," a voice said. Hiccup landed behind her, accompanied by Eret… and their mother. Eret shrugged apologetically at Signy, who narrowed her eyes.

"Signy Milla Haddock, what in Odin's name were you thinking?!" Valka asked, sliding off Cloudjumper and standing over her daughter.

"We convinced her to come back!" Astrid jumped in before Signy could reply. "She and Hiccup have been teaching me to ride a dragon and I just started showing the others. We want to help with whatever you're planning."

"Please, Mom," Hiccup insisted. "With a group like this, we have a chance."

"Hmph." Valka crossed her arms. "I doubt that stubborn father of yours could be convinced. He's always hated dragons more than anyone else I've ever known, with the exception of one person. And that person tried to kill your sister."

"Stoick isn't Drago."

"We can try. But I refuse to promise anything."

* * *

Valka followed Astrid through the village by night. According to the blonde, Stoick would be at a meeting of the village elders until sunrise to discuss the dragon threat. From what little information she'd gleaned from Hiccup and Signy, Valka knew they were both close to Astrid, and that they cared deeply for her in different ways. And it had been Valka's decision to go to the home she'd once shared with her husband, to greet him and try and change his mind.

She hadn't told their children to follow but they'd refused to listen.

 _Stubborn as their parents._

The house hadn't changed at all since she'd left. It appeared Stoick hadn't even bothered to repair the hole in the side where Cloudjumper had stolen her away. What had once been a warm place, full of light and laughter, was now broken down and dusty. The sight of it broke her heart. How much pain had Stoick gone through without her, without their children? How could she have stayed away for so long?

"You two go upstairs. I will wait for your father," she instructed. Hiccup and Signy disappeared up the stairs, Astrid slipping back out of the house while Valka sat by the fireside and sparked the tinder.

 _Oh, Stoick… I'm so sorry…_

She dozed slightly, her mind floating in and out of consciousness until she heard her husband's heavy footsteps on the stone outside. The door creaked open and closed as she got a good look at him.

"Hello, Stoick."

He instantly stiffened and slowly turned to face her. The look on his face broke her heart as she stood and prepared herself for him to scream at her.

"I know what you must be thinking—how could I be alive all this time? Why didn't I come home to you? With our children? I couldn't. Stoick, my place was with the dragons. They kept me safe, kept our son and daughter safe, and I couldn't bring them back with the war."

Stoick stepped towards her cautiously. Signy and Hiccup appeared at the stairs.

"Please, just say something! Shout, scream, just say _something_!"

He was right in front of her now, and he reached out to caress her face.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."

Valka felt the dam inside her break as she began to cry, leaning forward into him as he embraced her. His left arm left her for a moment, but it soon returned along with two other bodies. Their children.

For the first time in almost twenty years, the Haddock family was whole again.

* * *

 **Sorry this took so long but shit's been happening.**

 **Next time, we'll hear the plan and meet a new dragon rider.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


End file.
